In the nearly final stage of my prep for my year around the world I was already a bit worried whether I had made the right choices. Having a year, going to “only” six countries and having 4 long distance hikes between 600 -1200 km plus the highest mountain in Africa, kind of seemed crazy, even to me.
I love hiking for long distances and always feel more complete when being in nature and so exhausted, that my brain can only focus on two things: food & bed. Not spinning out of control with all the “ifs” and “whens”, that are not even my problems.
When you hike in the terrain I covered this year so far, you have no headspace to do that. You just want to make good choices and survive the next step. Not all the time, but for some stretches it really is demanding. And even more so when you are going downhill.
Naturally, I started to question my choices. The Kungsleden was cut short because of a freak accident in the sauna and the Michinoku I hated so much that I was really selective. I still did about 500km but I questioned every single bit I hiked.
With the Te Araroa it was clear from the beginning that I will have to skip parts because my trail legs are not there, yet. The Richmond Range comes directly after the Pelorus Track and is one of the most demanding bits of the trail. If yo have hiked the full length of the North Island before hitting that stretch, you should be fine. But I did not. Also I am hiking alone and though I am really careful, and for that matter also quite slow at times, it is a risk I might have ignored in my twenties (I totally would have ignored it …) but not in my mid-fifties.
I think at this point I have found the balance that was missing when I was making my plans: hiking, getting into the dirt, being bitten by sandflies and stink like a troll, but also take time, stop, smell the roses, enjoy a warm shower and a decent bed.
And if that is the only learning I take away from my year of traveling it is more than I could have wished for.
One Year - Five Continents 